According to prosecutor Steven Bolton, Engler, 34, of 3672 St. Johns Road, wanted to stay outside the law long enough to spend Christmas with his family after he stopped meeting his probation officer in September.

“Apparently he was able to do that,” Bolton told Shepherd while arguing to revoke Engler’s probation.

Bolton included a failed drug test for marijuana Sept. 21, a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges in Meade County Aug. 5 and numerous reports of alcohol abuse and violence in his motion to revoke Engler’s probation.

Shepherd said Engler would “be better off” serving time in jail based on Engler’s problems while on probation.

Engler was convicted of two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment in March and the court gave him two years probation.

The Bald Knob shootout involved Engler’s family and the neighboring Beagle family in September 2008, state police reported.

The family feud began with a stabbing on Christmas 2007 and escalated because of a romantic relationship between two young members of the feuding families.

Although two barrages of gunfire were reported, no one was injured. Police responded to a report of gunfire at 4 p.m. on Sept. 9, 2008 and confiscated two guns.

Rhonda Jones - a stepdaughter in the Engler family - said the hail of bullets shattered windows and left holes in walls of her home.

“They were shooting out the back doors at each other,” she told The State Journal at the time of the incident.

Police returned after receiving a report of an additional shooting at 6:30 p.m. and took eight more guns, including shotguns and a “long-gun.”

Christopher Beagle Sr., 43, was involved in the shootout and was indicted on nine counts of wanton endangerment for firing multiple shots at his neighbors and two counts of second-degree assault for throwing a rock or brick at Kimberly and Anthony Engler.

He pleaded guilty to nine counts of second-degree wanton endangerment and two counts of fourth-degree assault - both misdemeanor offenses - and was sentenced to one year.

Also charged in the shootout were Christopher Beagle Jr., 19, and Mitchell Engler, 53.

Charges against Christopher Beagle Jr. were dismissed, while Mitchell Engler’s case is still pending, according to court records.In other court action Friday:

>A Frankfort man accused of sexual abuse and attempted sodomy in 2008 has asked for a new trial date.

Attorney David Guarnieri represents Bryan Lenox, 18, of 110 Farmers Lane, and asked Shepherd for a new trial date because of delays in the court case and stalled talks with Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Dana Todd regarding a plea deal, he wrote in his motion.

Guarneri told Shepherd his client has completed sex offender treatment and wants to visit his mother and siblings without supervision. Lenox is currently under the supervision of his grandfather.

Todd opposed any unsupervised release based on the severity of the alleged misconduct.

Shepherd said he’d set a new trial date and will take the motion to release Lenox from supervision under advisement.

Lenox is accused of inappropriately touching two children - an 11-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl at the time - between Aug. 29, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2008, his court record shows.

The alleged sexual abuse occurred several times in a swimming pool and once during a sleepover, court documents say.

He faces charges of first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree solicitation of sexual abuse and criminal attempt to commit first-degree sodomy, according to his indictment.

>Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate sentenced a Frankfort woman who sold a number of prescription pills to three years probation.

Bonnie Ruth, 22, of 901 Leawood Drive Apt. 11, sold a police informant $470 in drugs during an undercover investigation.

Ruth sold seven Lortabs, 10 hydrocodone pills and 30 sulfamethoxazole - a drug used to treat malaria and urinary tract infections - pills during three controlled buys in March and April, state police reports say.

>The former owner of Roco’s Pizza pleaded not guilty to charges of tax evasion and writing cold checks to the state’s Revenue Department.

Randall Blankenship Jr., 37, of Versailles, faces charges of theft by failure to make required deposition of property and theft by deception after he allegedly failed to pay sales and withholding taxes between May 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2008.

Blankenship was ordered to pay the Revenue Department $1,000 a month toward his debt, but he failed to do so, according to court records.

Blankenship sent two cold checks to the Revenue Cabinet for sales taxes on Nov. 20, 2008, and Aug. 3, his indictment says.The checks totaled about $2,900, Cleveland said.

>Local contractor Wendell Marrs, 39, of 5200 Huntington Woods Road, pleaded not guilty to charges of not making repairs after being paid by homeowners.

Marrs allegedly received $5,700 from Tom and Karen Doyle, of Raintree Road, in June to buy supplies and materials to repair a roof, Cleveland said.

He also collected between $540 and $3,000 under similar circumstances from George Mays, of Grandview Drive, May 11; Rebekah Singleton, of Coldstream Drive, Sept. 25; and Mary Perry, of U.S. 421 North, Nov. 4, according to Cleveland and his indictment.